


A Power Play

by romaneedsatoma



Category: aphmau - Fandom
Genre: A universe where Zenix replaces Aphmau kind of, Other, Phoenix Drop High - Freeform, Trigger warnings:, alcohol and underaged drinking, and of his relationships with other characters, esp with the shadow knights and his parents, its mostly an exploration of zenixs character, lots and lots of depression, poor/negligent families, referenced past self harm, sexual references and past sexual encounters from underaged parties (non explicit)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 16:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20915300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romaneedsatoma/pseuds/romaneedsatoma
Summary: “I’m all for taking this outside. You want to take this outside?” Zenix shot up, shoving his chair back, and Aaron sighed.“No, Zenix, I do not.” Aaron sounded almost as tired as their teacher, and Zenix huffed, sitting down again.“Thank you.” The teacher turned back to the board, and Zenix quietly vowed to make the rest of the year living hell for Aaron.-When Gene tells Zenix to take Werewolf Class to try and recruit new members to the Shadow Knights, he goes in knowing he won't get anyone. He didn't want anyone new and he wasn't good at talking anyways. But when he gets mixed up with Aaron all of one day in, he quickly realizes things are going to go poorly. Between fighting off his crush on Gene, dealing with his poor family situation, tousling with the werewolves in class for the position of alpha, and realizing he might not hate Aaron as much as he should, sophmore year seems like it might just kill Zenix where he stands.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I'm ever really going to finish this. This started as a fic I was writing with/for my boyfriend, after a joke I made about Zenix dating Aaron instead of Aphmau, and this all took off. I broke up with my boyfriend over a month ago and I don't know how to continue this now. But I still love the story and I hope some other people loving it will help me continue it.

A short, pale boy stood outside a classroom door, eyeing it up with his reddish brown irises. His navy blue uniform was unkempt, his tie pulled out of place and blazer crumpled, and overall, his appearance was less than cared for. He reached up to ruffle up his dark brown hair absentmindedly, examining the classroom buzzing around beyond the glass door.

Gene had told him to sign up for werewolf class- something about scouting out new gang members- but now the sophomore was regretting going along with that choice. He didn’t want to be the only human in class, for one thing, and he didn’t particularly want anyone else in the gang. He liked being able to be close to Gene and Sasha without anyone else getting in the way. Call him possessive, but he didn’t want to be replaced.

Plus, the bell rang about fifteen minutes ago, and he was worried about the teacher suplexing him out the window for being late the first day of classes.

The door slammed open, interrupting his slim hope of skipping class, and he looked up at the adult werewolf death glaring him, returning the expression. If only he wasn’t so short. He probably looked like a freshman right now.

“I’m assuming you’re late because you’re a freshman and got lost?”

Bingo.

“Actually, I’m a sophomore. I just don’t want to be here,” he replied bluntly, and the teacher growled. “Zenix. You probably marked me absent.”

“Get in here and maybe I’ll consider no detention. You can sit next to Mr. Lycan in the back of the room.” The teacher turned and stormed back into the classroom, and Zenix followed, his glare melting into a bored expression. ‘Mr. Lycan’ was pointed out to him, and he raised an eyebrow. A tall, tan, and quite frankly well built senior, sitting as far back in the corner as he could. He had messy black hair, and eyes so dark they may have well have been absorbing all light around him. On his cheek was a white bandage, and his uniform matched Zenix’s messiness almost exactly.

Aaron. ‘Mr. Lycan’ was Aaron, as well as the only other human in the room. Their eyes met, and he rolled his eyes as Aaron looked away pointedly, striding over and sitting down next to him.

“Aaron.”

“Zenix.”

“Well, if you boys are done introducing yourselves,” the teacher cut them off, “we can get back to class.”

Once the teacher turned to the board, Zenix took out his phone to text the Shadow Knight group chat about this development in their plans. It threw a bit of a curveball, not enough to ruin it but possibly hinder it. And it seemed like something Gene would want to use in the future.

He glanced over at Aaron, seeing that he was also on his own phone, and tried to peek at what he was typing. Something to someone named Sh- Aaron drew his phone to his chest, giving Zenix a glare.

“Do you mind?”

“I mind you hiding your phone. What do you think I’m doing? Reading your texts?”

“Yes, actually, I do.”

“Well, good, because I am!”

Aaron growled, slamming his phone down, and Zenix sat up straighter, dropping his own phone on his desk. Aaron glanced away around the classroom, and Zenix suddenly realized that it had gone quiet. The others in the room were staring at him, and he growled.

“You two can either shut up or take this outside.” The teacher sounded beyond exhausted, and class had hardly started. Well, it had been going on for probably twenty minutes. But it had hardly started for Zenix.

“I’m all for taking this outside. You want to take this outside?” Zenix shot up, shoving his chair back, and Aaron sighed.

“No, Zenix, I do not.” Aaron sounded almost as tired as their teacher, and Zenix huffed, sitting down again.

“Thank you.” The teacher turned back to the board, and Zenix quietly vowed to make the rest of the year living hell for Aaron.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, I think we can make a power play from this. If Aaron and Zenix both stay in the class.”  
“A power play?” Sasha stopped harassing Zenix, pausing to glance over at Gene curiously and yelping when Zenix pointedly sprayed red paint near her converse. “Zenix!”  
“Not gonna say. It won’t work if Zenix knows. And Zenix, I know you’re listening.”  
“Fuck off.”  
“Exactly."
> 
> -
> 
> Zenix very rarely felt in control of his life, but within the first week of school, he realized it was spiraling fully out of his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter: references to past self-harm

“And he refused to fight me, and ugh, I wanted to hit him so bad-”

“Shut up Zenix,” Gene cut him off, “we get the picture.” The tall senior leaned against the bleachers, rubbing his chin. He had an olive complexion, was a bit too skinny, and looked out of place in the blue uniform which almost matched the color of his eyes. While his black hair was much neater than Zenix’s, it was obviously styled in a way that was meant to look unkempt, flopping down over his eye in an almost emo bangs type style. A perfectly manicured level of disarray which probably looked desperate to most people, but to Zenix, just seemed like the coolest thing ever.

“What are you gonna do about it, Gene?” Sasha asked, a barely curious tone to her voice as was customary. She was sitting on a support strut for the bleachers, kicking her feet in the air. She was the palest of all of them, which was a feat, and as a junior, was several inches taller than Zenix. Though most freshmen were taller than Zenix, so age had little to do with it. Her silver hair reached her waist, accenting her gentle curves, and her bright purple eyes stuck out against her pale face. Probably contacts, but considering she never took them out around anyone and some of the bizarre colorations that existed around school, you couldn’t be sure.

“Well, this was unplanned for. But I think we can make it work in our favor.” Gene smirked, still thinking but Zenix could practically see the plan he was constructing in his head. “I assume you’ve already managed to annoy Aaron?”

“Who doesn’t Zenix annoy,” Sasha said, her tone showing it wasn’t quite a question.

“Hey!” Zenix growled, and Gene laughed loudly.

“You’re right, you’re right. Zenix has definitely already annoyed Aaron. Hm.”

“You guys suck,” Zenix grumbled, grabbing a paint can and shaking it. He started painting the first thing to come to mind- their logo, as always- doing his best to ignore the upperclassmen talking behind him.

Of course, it was hard for him to purposefully ignore Gene or Sasha, so he heard the whole conversation anyways.

“I mean, first of all, we need to figure out why Aaron is in werewolf class,” Gene said.

“The school probably messed up his schedule. They do that a lot, though usually freshmen are affected and not seniors. It’s not like our school is exactly run by geniuses.” Sasha tapped her foot against the support beams, interrupting Zenix’s painting, and he pointed the can at her. “Don’t you dare. If you ruin my uniform again, my mom is going to kill me and then you.”

Gene continued with his scheming, ignoring the bickering between the two besides a silent snicker. “Yeah, maybe. In any case, that’s what we’ll be figuring out first. From there… Well, I think we can make a power play from this. If Aaron and Zenix both stay in the class.”

“A power play?” Sasha stopped harassing Zenix, pausing to glance over at Gene curiously and yelping when Zenix pointedly sprayed red paint near her converse. “Zenix!”

“Not gonna say. It won’t work if Zenix knows. And Zenix, I know you’re listening.”

“Fuck off.”

“Exactly. I’ll text you it later, Sash. But Zenix here has to stay in the dark.”

“I don’t want to do anything without knowing what it is I’m doing.” Zenix turned to glare at Gene, shaking the spray can pointedly.

“Zenix, are you ever aware of anything you do?” Gene asked with a grin, and Zenix grumbled, dropping the spray can and starting to storm off. Gene caught him by the forearm, tugging him back over easily and Zenix flinched, pulling his arm away and holding it. “Woah, woah, cool off time. Trust me, I’ll tell you eventually. I just can’t right now. You don’t have to do anything but what you’d usually do, I want you acting normal.”

Zenix eyed Gene with an almost hurt look, still holding his arm. Eventually, he let go and ducked to grab the spray can, mumbling “fine” just loud enough to be heard.

“Good boy. Chin up, Ixxy, won’t be too bad.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“There we go, back to normal. Now come on, lunch is almost over. Teachers need to see our faces at least once before we start skipping for the rest of the year.” Gene waved his hand, informally dismissing them all and walking off. Sasha hopped off the bleachers and tapped Zenix’s shoulder.

“Let me see your wrist,” she demanded and Zenix’s eyes went wide. He glanced over at Gene, who paused and looked back slightly.

“Fuck off Sasha. Talk to me about this later,” he hissed, and Sasha rolled her eyes, watching Gene eye them for a moment before continuing on. She started walking slowly, letting Gene get ahead, and once he reached the top of the stairs, she nudged Zenix.

“Let me see your wrist,” she said again. Zenix huffed, pushing his left sleeve and turning his arm to let her see. She studied it for a moment, then turned away. “Good. Come on. Let’s catch up with Gene.”

…

Zenix trudged home, stopping outside his house and looking it over. He did this most afternoons. It was a good way to avoid actually going inside. 

It was about the same as every other house on the block- middle class, neat yard, houses mostly gray with dark colors for the trim and shutters. His own house had blue- a somewhat faded shade of navy that almost looked dark gray. His house had the messiest yard on the block currently- it wasn’t saying much, considering how neatly cut it was. Just a sign that his parents hadn’t yet noticed him skimping out on his chores.

Then again, they didn’t notice most things he did nowadays.

He finally sighed and entered, glancing around the open space downstairs that held the kitchen, living room, and dining room. His mother’s laptop was on the dining room table, with a stack of paper to the left of it and a blue notebook to the right. The woman herself was in the kitchen, stirring coffee with her back to him.

“Mom, it’s 3pm. Don’t drink coffee.”

“Afternoon yourself, Zenix.” She turned, sipping her coffee. In a lot of ways, Zenix resembled his mother. She wasn’t too tall- no one in their family was- but she looked intimidating, dark eyes that pierced into the mind of those who looked too long. She looked him over with the same disinterested expression he usually had on, though she was put together much nicer than he would ever bother. Their hair was the same shade, her’s cut almost the same length as his, though he obviously got the curly disarray from his father.

“Afternoon,” he responded, turning and walking to the stairs. He felt his mother’s eyes on his back, but she didn't call him back, and he didn't offer.

Once he was in his room, he dumped his bag on the floor and laid down on his bed, covering his face. It was hot, surprisingly so for a day in September. He tossed aside his blazer and started unbuttoning his shirt, leaving it hanging open. Wasn't like there was anyone to walk in on him.

As if on cue, there was a knock on his window, and as it slid open, Zenix gasped and jolted up, pulling his shirt closed and glaring at the window. Gene slid in, glancing over Zenix and making him squirm, then grinned.

“Wow, already have your shirt off. Waiting for someone?”

“Waiting for you to leave, mostly.”

“Sorry, sorry. Didn't know you needed your, ah, privacy.” Gene turned on his heel and Zenix choked out a pained noise, making the senior laugh.

“What do you want Gene?”

“To check up on you?”

“Very funny. Didn't know it was you, Sasha.”

Gene turned back to him and looked at him, his expression changing for a moment before relaxing into his usual cheery grin.

“You're right! I'm here to talk to you about Aaron.” 

Of course. Not stopping by to admit his undying love for Zenix or coming to steal his virginity or something fun like that. Just the plan that Zenix wasn’t even allowed to know about.

“Alright, but I'm supposed to have guitar lessons later,” Zenix replied, getting up. “So I need to warm up.”

“Hardcore. Play something nice.” Gene flopped down where Zenix just was, and Zenix rolled his eyes, grabbing his cherry red guitar and sitting down on the floor. As he tuned it, he listened to Gene talk, more hearing the sounds than his actual words.

Gene’s voice was nice. It was surprisingly musical in Zenix’s ears, very dynamic with lots of expression. It would be a stretch to call it smooth, but it was delightful to listen to. A lot like Gene, in some ways.

Zenix was into it.

Really into it.

Zenix started actually playing and continued to ignore what Gene was actually saying, instead accompanying the tune of his voice. He did this a lot. It was normal for Gene to come in while he practiced guitar, and he’d be surprised if Gene didn’t notice that he wasn’t paying attention. So they had a bit of a routine of Zenix ignoring Gene and Gene talking to himself.

“And that’s why I’m in love with you,” Gene said, and Zenix’s head shot up.

“What?” Zenix asked, wide eyed. Gene burst out laughing and Zenix flushed, glaring. “Fuck off.”

“This is why you have to pay attention to me when I talk, Ixxy! You always fall for the dumb stuff like that.”

“Are you leaving then?”

“Not so fast.” Gene shook his head, and Zenix groaned, falling back against the floor with a thud. “Alright, geez, no need to make your mom worry.”

“In what world would my mom care about me falling over in my room?”

Gene gave him a look and he looked away, out the window. A faint breeze was coming through it now, and he was reminded of the fact that his shirt was still unbuttoned. Needed that to be closed once his guitar teacher was here. Carefully, he started closing his shirt, doing his best to actually listen to Gene as he talked this time.

It’d be helpful if he had any idea what Gene was going on about.

“So if you get into any serious fights, if Aaron doesn’t sort it out, I will.”

“Why would Aaron sort out a fight for me? And I can handle fights myself, you know!”

“Suuure you can. And as for why… well, if you were listening, you would know. But since you didn’t, you’ll just have to find out.” Gene’s smirk was irritating and also too attractive. Irritatingly attractive. Attractively irritating? Zenix stared for a moment, then realized he was supposed to reply and not stare at Gene’s lips. Not that Gene seemed to particularly care about that detail.

“Whatever. Get out of my room. My guitar teacher comes…” Zenix twisted around, glancing around for the alarm clock he kept across the room. “...five minutes ago.”

“Right.” Gene snorted, getting up with a loud sigh that made Zenix squirm. He resisted the urge to throw something at the senior. He had to be doing that on purpose. “Well, see you in school tomorrow then. You’ll receive more instructions then. I gotta go check up on Sash to make sure she knows the details.”

“Cool. Get out.”

Gene snickered and ruffled his hair, then swung out the window. Zenix watched him leave, then stood, getting ready for his lesson with a grumble.

…

Zenix surprised himself by greatly enjoying werewolf class. As much as he loved fighting, it was even more fun to watch fights. And those happened a lot, as they always did with a large pack of werewolves before an alpha has been established. Or at least, Zenix was pretty sure there wasn’t an alpha yet. It was still pretty early in the year. 

That being said, it didn’t stop him from picking fights himself. His just tended to be a lot less physical than they’d usually be, considering the strength of an average werewolf. Despite what his friends would say, he was capable of arguing verbally as well. It was just hard around the gang, with trying to keep up appearances. Easier with people he didn’t care that much about.

“Oh, go bite your tail,” he growled at Balto, stumbling after being shoved over outside the classroom door. He started walking into the classroom again, doing his best to get past the other teen. “Only tail you can successfully chase anyways.”

“You think you scare me? Please. Gene isn’t here to protect you.” Balto grabbed his arm, tugging him back, and he looked up at him, doing his best to shrug off the stares of the werewolves already in the class.

The werewolf he was glaring at currently was a tall, muscular boy- senior? Junior? Zenix couldn’t remember, and quite frankly, didn’t care. His purple-gray ears stuck out in his dark brown hair, similar to how his bright red eyes stuck out against his pale, grayish skin. One of the weirder color combinations among the werewolves. Zenix stared at him for a second, trying to find a better descriptor than gray for his skin, before Balto snarled at him. 

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Why would I be doing that?”

Balto was the current alpha, but he wasn’t very secure in that position, so he wasn't surprised when he threw him down. But before he could painfully clang into the front row of desks, there were strong arms catching him tightly. He inhaled sharply, caught off guard. No one had the right to smell that good. This guy smelled nicer than Sasha and she had really nice perfume and shampoo, which was probably weird to know, but the Shadow Knights weren’t exactly known for their physical boundaries. He smelled like… Zenix couldn’t even place the smell. Something woodsy, maybe? Pine trees? Fresh cut wood? Very masculine. Zenix finally got enough sense to look up, then jerked away, dusting himself off.

Aaron. Of all people to catch him, it was Aaron.

Aaron stepped forward, clearly challenging Balto, and Zenix scurried to his seat in the back of the room, feel uncharacteristically skittish after being held by Aaron. After smelling Aaron. After thinking about how nice he smelled.

He needed out of this classroom, stat.

He quickly texted the Shadow Knights group text, not adding context.

[Zenix]: Pls help me skip.  
[Gene]: What class are you in? 

First text was from Gene, of course, who always seemed to be there when a plan needed to be formed.

[Zenix]: Werewolf class.  
[Gene]: Stay.  
[Zenix]: Gene, shit went do

Zenix was cut off in his typing and he hit enter prematurely, cursing quietly as the teacher snatched the phone from his hand and pointedly turned it off.

“Class starts now. Phones away.” The teacher walked away, dropping Zenix’s phone on his own desk at the front of the room, and Zenix grumbled, sliding down in his chair. He probably should have texted less under his desk. It was becoming a ritual to just take his phone at the beginning of class and for him to take it back when the bell rang.

Aaron was sitting down next to him now, a freshly bleeding lip tainting his otherwise fairly clean skin, and Zenix could feel the class’s eyes on them. He looked around the room, glaring, and most of the werewolves looked away quickly.

Finally, he looked up at Aaron, who was staring at the front of the room too attentive to be legit. After a few minutes of staring at the board, he glanced at Zenix and raised an eyebrow.

“You're welcome.”

“I could have handled myself,” Zenix said, crossing his arms.

“He was ready to beat you into a bloody pulp. You're lucky I stepped in.” Aaron’s expression slid into a glare. Zenix matched it, by now used to the daily argument with the older boy.

“I've taken worse than him.”

“You mean, you've been defeated by worse than him.” Aaron’s glare broke into a small smirk and Zenix flushed. Why was that… attractive.

“Fuck off, you don't know me. I could be carrying a knife on me right now.”

“I don't think Mr. Gavin would appreciate you stabbing the ex-alpha.”

“Self defense,” Zenix countered, rolling his eyes. He paused, then glanced over at Balto. The werewolf was slouched down in his seat, bearing more visible injuries than Aaron. “You're alpha now?”

“Good to know you're paying attention to class,” Aaron responded, a sarcastic tone tingeing his voice.

“Who's alpha female? Don't think Balto chose anyone.” Zenix looked around, trying to judge who Aaron would go for in the class. Aaron stiffened up next to him.

“Don't worry about it,” he replied quickly, and Zenix looked up, raising an eyebrow at the blush across his cheeks.

“Uh huh,” Zenix said, deadpan.

“Alright. Aaron, Zenix, stop talking and pay attention,” Mr. Gavin barked from the front of the room. “We're discussing alpha domination today.”

The class erupted in giggles with glances between Balto and Aaron, and Zenix sighed. This class was going to be long without his phone.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha sighed, still laying down, and informed him, “you’re the alpha female now.”  
Zenix was frozen for a moment, a cherry red blush creeping across his cheeks. “But I’m not a girl!”  
“Geez, Ixxy, it’s the 21st century. Two males can be alpha.” Gene snickered. “One is just put in the more submissive role. Fits you, hm?”  
“Excuse me?”
> 
> -
> 
> Zenix is clued into the reality of Gene's plot. Not for the first time, he wished Gene didn't know him so goddamn well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for references to underaged sexual behaviors

Something changed. Zenix just had no idea what.

Werewolves treated him differently. Rather than ignoring him, or even trying to start a tussle for dominance, they would nod at him, smile when they passed him. All except for about three girls who glared at him in the hallway and one scrawny guy who tried to jump him in class. Another fight that Aaron had dealt with for him. Gene seemed to find it hilarious when Zenix complained about it.

“Why are they being nice to me now? Like, Irene, I thought that I was gonna be made the omega! Every alpha seemed pretty fucking content with that decision!”

Sasha laughed as well when Gene let out another loud cackle. The three of them were laying in the park in their usual spot by the bridge, the river running slowly in the background. The sun was high in the sky, as school had let out for the weekend hardly an hour ago.

“Zenix, tell me. Did anything happen before you noticed this?” Gene asked, and Zenix blushed immediately, remembering Aaron’s irritatingly attractive cologne or whatever it was that made him smell like heaven.

“Uh… Balto was trying to fight me, for dominance I guess. He shoved me into some desks. But Aaron caught me and then he went and fought Balto. So he’s alpha now,” Zenix said, skimming over the exact details. Mostly the ones about how ever since the incident happened Zenix couldn’t stop thinking about the senior. That probably would not go over well with Gene.

“And the alpha female?”

“He wouldn’t tell me.”

There was silence for a few minutes, then Gene let out a cheer.

“I cannot believe that worked!”

“What?” Zenix jerked up, looking at the senior. “What worked?”

“Zenix, buddy, if you don’t know, you’re gonna be terrible at this.” Gene sat up as well, a wide grin on his face.

“Terrible at what?!”

Sasha sighed, still laying down, and informed him, “you’re the alpha female now.”

Zenix was frozen for a moment, a cherry red blush creeping across his cheeks. “But I’m not a girl!”

“Geez, Ixxy, it’s the 21st century. Two males can be alpha.” Gene snickered. “One is just put in the more submissive role. Fits you, hm?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, good boy.”

Zenix growled and jumped to his feet, walking down to the riverbed and kicking a rock as hard as he could. It went flying, bouncing against the far end of the river then rolling into the water. Gene and Sasha were murmuring quietly behind him, and Zenix assumed his usual role- the angry boy in the background who’s pacing around.

“Zen, to me,” Gene called after a few minutes, and he walked over begrudgingly. He sat down to complete the small circle they had formed, and Gene smiled.

“So, now that you’ve calmed down and accepted your role as alpha, I need to inform you on what to do.”

“I know how to be alpha. We learn in class.” Zenix rolled his eyes. “Alpha female isn’t even a ‘more submissive role.’ I have seen so many girls punch each other in the face over the role. It’s really hot, honestly.”

“Shut up Zenix,” Sasha said, rolling her eyes right back at him, and Zenix snickered. “You think everything is really hot.”

“Regardless,” Gene cut in, interrupting the argument that was obviously about to start. “You’re the alpha female because Aaron took down the alpha male and then marked you. When I learned Aaron sat next to you in class, I hoped this would happen.”

“Why do you want me to be alpha anyways?” 

“Because werewolves are totally hardcore. And getting a positive reputation with some of the toughest guys in this school is never a bad thing.” Gene grinned, and Zenix huffed, displeased but unable to fight that logic.

“What if I don’t want to be the alpha?”

“Well, take it up with Aaron then.”

Zenix paused, then came back with, “what if I told him that you manipulated him into making me alpha?”

“You wouldn’t.”

Zenix stared Gene down, noting Sasha watching with mild amusement from the side. Gene leaned closer, hissing quietly into his ear. Evidently, he was assuming Sasha would make them break up the fight if they pushed too far. While Gene tended to know when not to cross the line, it wasn’t exactly rare for Sasha to reel him in.

“I have so much dirt on you, I could rip apart your reputation in seconds.”

“I don’t have a reputation,” Zenix said, soft as Gene’s hiss was. 

“I can tell your parents all the stuff you’ve been up to. Wonder what they’d think of your little cigarette stash, hm? Porno rags? Knives?”

“My parents wouldn’t care.”

“No, you’re right. If I told them that, I’d be helping you. All you want is their attention.” Gene’s voice was cloyingly sweet, and Zenix winced at the jab. Sore spot. Not enough for an explosive reaction, but it did tend to shut him up. 

He was silent for a moment, then murmured, “If you don’t want me to go to Aaron, you can just suck my dick again to pay me off.”

Gene flushed slightly and he smirked. Managed to catch him off guard for once.

The senior sat normally again, giving Zenix a nasty look, and said, “what if I bought you a bag of peanut butter cups? Most stores have already opened up Halloween sections, for some reason.”

Zenix looked at him in disbelief. He was trying to pay Zenix off with candy, like he was a little kid.

…

“Thank Irene for capitalism,” Zenix cheered as he unpeeled the peanut butter cup and popped it into his mouth, leaning against Gene’s bed. In his lap laid three jumbo bags of the same candy.

“I can’t believe you just bought ten bucks worth of candy to keep Zenix as alpha,” Sasha said with a grin.

“It’s important for my plan!” Gene replied, huffing and flipping through his wallet. “I need to get some more money. I need money to bribe people.”

“You can bribe me with more candy,” Zenix offered.

“I can bribe you by throwing your candy out the fucking window.”

Zenix laughed and put more candy into his mouth. His fingers were already a mess of chocolate and he sucked on them obnoxiously, eyes flicking from Gene to Sasha and wiggling his eyebrows.

“Go back to being edgy and grumpy,” Sasha said, unimpressed, and Zenix stuck his tongue out at her. “Close enough.”

“Alright, alright. We need to go over the plan properly now that Zenix has fulfilled his unwitting goal.” Gene tossed his wallet onto his bookshelf, standing and starting to pace. Sasha, who was sitting on the bed above Zenix, started playing with the sophomore’s hair, untangling the barely brushed curls. He leaned back further.

“So obviously, our main goal is cause chaos. Because that’s what the Shadow Knights do.” Zenix mumbled ‘hell yeah’ through his candy, and Sasha nodded in agreement.

“But how are we going to go about it?”

Gene had that voice on, the one with the imaginary projector showing points behind him. He always talked with his hands when he was in that mood, and Zenix closed his eyes, picturing the movements in his head.

“First off- get Aaron to stop fighting us every time he catches us in the hallway.” Zenix imagined Gene waving at a timeline. There were subtitles on the slide, surrounding the timeline: ‘The big goal! Hard to achieve. Long term.’ “This is obviously not gonna happen overnight,” bingo, “but I thiiink Zenix can butter him up.”

“Zenix is like… the worst person to butter someone up,” Sasha responded with a scoff. Said boy’s eyes opened lazily, a glare gracing his expression. Guess that moment of happiness was over.

“Yes, but he also gets beaten up easily. Aaron likes having someone to defend!”

“I do not!” Zenix said indignantly, wiping chocolate from his mouth and making a worse mess of himself. “I could win a brawl.”

“Zenix, a middle schooler could probably bully you. You’re like a living, breathing, punching bag.” Gene rolled his eyes.

Zenix grumbled, shoving candy into his mouth, and Sasha snickered, giving up on his hair and sitting up. He whined, and Gene cleared his throat.

“Circle?”

“I’m good,” Sasha replied smoothly, stretching out on Gene’s bed, and Gene rolled his eyes once again.

He did that all of five seconds ago. Shadow Knights never stopped doing that, did they? Zenix was pretty sure they had all rolled their eyes at one point in this conversation. Probably more than once. This sudden self awareness made him miss Gene’s next comment, only blinking back to attention when he heard Gene repeating his name.

“-ix. Zenix. Zenix!”

“What did I do now?!”

Gene laughed, responding with, “well you weren’t listening, if that counts. So if you guys won’t circle up, you have to listen. Closely. That means you.”

“We’ve just been going in circles and circles in this conversation since school ended,” Zenix said with a grumble.

“So listen!”

Finally, the sophomore managed to shut up, and Gene sat up.

“Where were we… getting Aaron to stop fighting us, buttering him up- right. Game plan. We need to make sure Zenix and Aaron grow closer.” He was back into presentation mode, and his audience was now captive. Or at least, trying to look like they were. He drew his hands close, and with a wink to Zenix, tapped them together. “As close as you want, Zenny.”

“Not close at all!” he said quickly, feeling a blush creeping over his cheeks. “Only what’s necessary!”

“Might as well have fun with it,” Sasha reasoned, and Zenix batted at her without looking up. She would be giving him the same awful smirk he could see on Gene’s face. No thank you.

“In any case- get closer. And then, we start dragging you into fights when Aaron is around, but obviously, make sure no aggression is aimed at him. This will make him become more protective over you.” The senior nodded with self satisfaction. “This is a stretch goal, but if luck is on our side, he’ll basically start tailing you. And the other werewolves will keep an eye on you as well. That means, if we need to ostracize a certain werewolf for any reason, we just taunt them into fighting you, and have Aaron swoop in to save you.”

“Make them the omega,” Zenix said as it clicked in his head.

“Exactly! This would only work once, maybe twice. Werewolf ranks don’t change that much once there’s an alpha in place for more than a week, after all. So it’ll have to be a last resort.”

“If someone really gets on our bad side,” Sasha agreed. Her tone was flat, which somehow made it seem more deadly than if she sounded angry.

Zenix could tell the heat in his cheeks was coming back and he shoved some candy into his mouth. Not now, Zenix. Have weird thoughts about your friends later.

“That’s the rough plan. I’m still deciding what to do more specifically. With this plan we have to be more… on the fly. Find what opportunities come up.” Gene shrugged, and Zenix and Sasha nodded in synchronization. “Text me when anything happens, as you’ve been doing.”

“Mr. Gavin takes away my phone at the beginning of every class. Even if I’m alpha, he has higher command than me.”

“Alright, then write down anything big and text me it after class.” Gene snickered. “A troublemaker like you as alpha is gonna cause trouble.”

Zenix started to reply- ideally with something snarky, though he was still figuring out what to say- when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Come in,” Gene sighed. Dante opened the door, leaning in and glancing around. Gene immediately stood up with an easygoing grin. “Hey lil bro.”

“Hey guys,” he said, voice as chirpy as ever. Though being around Zenix’s age, Gene’s younger brother was tanned and almost as tall as Gene, with bright blue hair and darker blue eyes. He was also nicely built underneath his fitted clothes, as he… played soccer? Zenix couldn’t remember and didn’t really care as he glanced him over. He was pretty sure everyone in Gene’s family descended from some sort of Adonis. He bit his lip, mind running away as he looked at Dante-

Gene dug his foot into Zenix’s ankle and he yelped. Busted. Dante laughed, seeming to miss the cause of Gene’s attack, and continued, “Mom made dinner, just a family one today. Sasha and Zenix have to go home.”

“But your mom’s cooking is so good,” Sasha whined, genuine disappointment managing to slip through her usual monotone. Dante left without another word, the sound of shoes pounding down the stairs echoing into Gene’s room.

“My mom also thinks you guys are bad influences,” Gene countered once his brother was out of hearing. “I’m starting to think my family is in denial about my activities at school.”

“It’s because you actually care what they think about you,” Zenix said. It came out more bitter than taunting, and he winced at the look Gene and Sasha gave him. “Mama’s boy!” 

There, that came out better. Gene raised an eyebrow, and Zenix smirked.

“What’s wrong, hurt your feelings? Gonna go cry to mommy?” He did a singsong voice, and Gene laughed. Without warning, the taller boy lunged forward and grabbed him, holding him in the air.

“Don’t drop him,” Sasha said dryly, and Zenix almost shrieked, eyes going wide. She grabbed their backpacks and followed when Gene left the room, just watching in amusement.

“Put me down!”

“Time for Zenny to get out of my hooouse!” Gene said, imitating Zenix’s singsong as he walked towards the stairs. Dante poked his head back around from the dining room, looking up the stairwell with a grin. “Dante! I’m gonna toss Zenix, catch him!”

“No!” Zenix winced, and then-

“Gene, put Zenix down right now!” He had never been so relieved to see his friend’s mom in his life. With blue hair lighter than Dante’s and eyes the shade of Gene’s, she almost seemed like an angel with the sunset cast through the window behind her.

It was unlikely that Gene would actually toss him, sure, but falling down or dropping him? Yes. The Shadow Knights weren’t known for their athletic ability.

“Ugh, fine Mom.”

Once everyone was safely on the ground floor, Gene ushered Sasha and Zenix out of the house and into the fading sunlight. Zenix sighed, looking miserable, and Sasha dropped their backpacks on the ground. She started packing the peanut butter cups into his bag, glancing up at him.

“Dinner at mine?”

“My dad’s home today,” Zenix replied in a murmur. “Gotta be home for dinner.”

Sasha searched his face for a moment, as if looking for an excuse to force him to go with her. Then, she smiled, tugging at his blazer and fixing it. He felt a sinking emotion that could only be described as ‘the strong urge to get away from people trying to protect him’.

“Good luck Ixxy.”

“Don’t call me that,” he snapped, grabbing his bag and starting to walk off. “Night!”

“Night.”

\---

By the time Zenix got home, the streetlights were on and a small flicker of exhilaration was in his chest. He imagined the scene- he’d walk into a cold dinner and angry parents. Actual attention, even if it was negative. Maybe he’d be grounded? 

He suppressed the grin building on his face. Wanting to get in trouble wasn’t healthy or whatever the guidance counselor at school told him once. Plus, a dorky smile ruined his edgy aesthetic. Though he was alone in dark suburban streets, that was still important.

He unlocked the door and walked in. The lights were on, and he slammed the door closed to announce his presence.

Silence, and then some shuffling from the living room. His dad entered, tired and quiet as ever. Like his son, he was short, with the same curly locks as him, though they were darker and trimmed closer to his scalp. His light brown eyes blinked at Zenix, almost in confusion, and with his pale features, he appeared a lost ghost.

“I’m home,” Zenix said, stating the obvious.

“I thought you were in your room. Did you have dinner at uh… Sissy’s…?”

“Sasha’s. And I was at Gene’s house.” His voice didn’t hitch in the back of his throat, and even if it did, his dad didn’t notice. “I’ll grab something and have it in my room." He probably shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. This happened every weekend- his father would be home in time for dinner for once. Zenix would come home too late for dinner as usual. The two would have the same short exchange. And then they’d both ignore each other for the rest of the night.

“Oh. Yes. Night Zenix.”

“Night dad.” Zenix walked past him, his feet slamming against the stairs as he went to his room. Dropped his bag. Took out his candy. Laid down in bed and ate it and tried not to cry.

Dear Irene, he was edgy.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anyways!” Gene swung his leg over to no longer loom over Zenix, who scrambled to his feet. “We have a date to get to.”  
“It’s not a date!”  
“We have an event to get to.”  
Zenix’s dad laughed again, the sound obviously forced, and Zenix pulled his shirt on and grabbed his phone from the charger. Gene tucked something over his shoulders and quickly pushed him out the door, not giving him enough time to grab any of his stuff or even see what was just thrown over him.
> 
> -
> 
> Zenix let Gene drag him along to a concert. If only he could stop overthinking without needing a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: references to self-harm, underaged drinking

Zenix didn’t have an extensive list of ways he wished to start off the weekend. But Gene coming into his room while Zenix wasn’t wearing a shirt definitely wasn’t on it.

“Wow, what’s going on here?” Gene’s sarcastic tone made him raise his shoulders, and Zenix jumped back and whirled around when he realized that Gene had somehow gotten into his room without him noticing. The senior was sitting on his bed casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Zenix stared at him, more than aware of his disheveled state. He was only in boxers- old ratty ones even- and he was covered in paint. Like the messy canvas behind him, his arms and chest were covered in splotches of red and black. He pulled his legs together and brought his arms to his chest, hiding the subtle scar tissue lining his wrists, and Gene raised an eyebrow.

“You’re up early,” he managed to squeak out, and Gene laughed.

“It’s 2pm.” In contrast to the hot wreck covered in paint, Gene was well put together. Hair carefully manicured as always, light gray t-shirt with some generic Day of the Dead design on it, and dark, torn up skinny jeans. Zenix felt like a slob- wait.

“It’s 2pm?! I have to get dressed!”

“That’s why I’m here.” Gene spread his arms out with a grin and Zenix flipped him off, hurrying around his room to grab random articles of clothing. “Whatcha painting?”

“My feelings.”

“It’s a black canvas with red splattered on it.” Gene’s tone was amused, and he felt himself grind his teeth in irritation.

“Yes. My feelings.”

“Alright, edgelord.” Gene hummed, and from the sounds of the mattress creaking, laid down across his bed. “Go shower. Quickly. We have an hour.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zenix mumbled. He walked out of his room, pausing to listen for any signs of his parents before going to the bathroom.

In the shower, he let his thoughts run away from him far too quickly. Gene was laying in his bed. Waiting for him to come out so that they could go out together. He felt his cheeks flush and scrubbed hard at a paint stain on his arm.

Gene wanted to go see some sort of concert in the nearby city, and since Sasha skipped out on them in favor of some family party, it would just be him and Gene. He sighed heavily. They were going to kill each other.

He padded back into his room while drying his hair, his shirt still off but at least he now had some pants on. Gene was messing around with his clothes, and Zenix watched him in silence. He was just… going through his shirts?

“Gene…?”

“Did you take my red flannel?”

Zenix blinked, then bit his lip, thinking before responding, “Doesn’t Sasha have that?” He carefully adjusted the bundle of clothes under his arm, tucking his shirt around the flannel he was holding.

“You’re literally holding it right now, Zenix.”

“Am not!” Zenix clutched it to his chest, and Gene rolled his eyes. Without hesitation, he walked over and picked Zenix up. “Stop doing that!”

“Oh, sorry,” Gene said sarcastically, tossing Zenix onto his bed. He yelped, bouncing and dropping the clothes. Gene snatched up his flannel, sniffed it, then pulling it on over his shirt. “There we go.”

“But now I don’t have a flannel,” Zenix said with a whine, laying on the ground where he had landed. He was pretty sure he had bruised. Badly. And his towel and clothes were now all over the floor. Probably dirty, considering the state of his room. 

He hated Gene.

“Deal with it, this is mine.” Gene snickered, nudging him. “And you have plenty of flannels.”

“They’re all dirty!”

“Well that’s not my fault, now is it?”

“You have like, fifty red flannels anyways.” With a groan, Zenix rolled onto his back and sat up. Gene stepped over him and grabbed his arms, obviously intent on picking him up, and he yelped loudly.

“Zenix?” a voice asked from the hallway, and Gene swore, letting go. The door creaked open, and Zenix’s dad peered around the corner.

Zenix flushed, covering his bare chest, and Gene waved awkwardly. Of all of the times for one of his parents to actually pay attention.

“Uh, hello… Jay.”

“Gene, dad.”

“Hello Gene.”

“Hey there Mr. Zen’s dad.” Gene seemed to recover some of his cool, despite the fact that he almost straddling a shirtless kid a few years younger than him. “Do you mind if I steal your son for the day?”

“He’s never home anyway,” his dad replied with a slight chuckle, and Zenix’s expression darkened.

“Dad, I’m always home if I’m not at school.”

There was a pause as the two looked at each other, Zenix glaring and his dad’s face paling before Gene coughed loudly.

“Anyways!” Gene swung his leg over to no longer loom over Zenix, who scrambled to his feet. “We have a date to get to.”

“It’s not a date!”

“We have an event to get to.”

Zenix’s dad laughed again, the sound obviously forced, and Zenix pulled his shirt on and grabbed his phone from the charger. Gene tucked something over his shoulders and quickly pushed him out the door, not giving him enough time to grab any of his stuff or even see what was just thrown over him.

They only stopped once they were outside, Gene kicking the door closed behind them.

“Keep the flannel for the day, it’s gonna be hot anyways. I’m taking it for the walk back though.” Gene said it casually, obviously trying to make the other overlook it, and Zenix glanced down, blinking and putting his arms through the red flannel that was now on him.

“What was that about?” Zenix huffed as they stood on his stairs, glancing back in through the window. “I didn’t get my wallet. You’re lucky I already had my phone.”

“I don’t like your dad. He should care more. I got you covered anyways.” Gene started walking with no further explanation, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Zenix’s wallet. The sophomore took it wordlessly, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“Yeah, I don’t like my dad either,” Zenix said, half jogging to keep up with Gene.

“So you’ve said several times.” Gene’s tone was strained and Zenix’s cheeks stayed flush, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“You and Sasha don’t have to care so much you know,” Zenix said without thinking, caught off guard by himself but committing to continuing. “I’m used to my parents. They’re never going to care. I’m fine with that.”

Gene didn’t speak for a moment, raising a hand to place on Zenix’s shoulder. He was never good with emotions, almost the opposite of Zenix in a way. Rather than exploding, he always seemed to assume a blank calm. They balanced each other out, as embarrassed as Zenix felt to describe it like that. They were at each other’s throats most of the time, but when it actually mattered, they evened out.

“Maybe we don’t have to, but it happens, you know?” Gene said. He kept his expression light and near joking, though his tone didn’t match the teasing grin on his face. “Caring about your friends is pretty par for the course.”

“Yeah,” Zenix responded without enthusiasm, and the two lapsed into silence.

Sasha was the only rational one in the group when it came to actual emotional talks. She was the first to complain about trivial matters (though Zenix came close) and she was also the first to bring up truly touchy subjects. Where Gene repressed and Zenix clammed up, she spoke freely. She had commented once that she was so visibly depressed that it was pointless to hide it, which was hilariously honest but not the full truth. She was genuinely caring, though in a deathly calm way, making you feel like if you didn’t follow her advice she would physically force you too.

She really had with Zenix a few times, thinking about it. Even in the couple of years of being friends, she had a way of forcing him to care for himself slightly more than he did before. She stopped his self-harm problem by making him draw on himself instead, let him rant at her and pace around her room without saying a word, and just watched quietly to encourage him to really heal. Zenix was shocked at times of how much Sasha affected him after entering high school. She helped him in a way that he could hardly understand. 

Maybe he just wasn’t used to having friends.

Gene helped as well, in a more subtle and destructive way. He gave meaning to Zenix’s pointless rebellion, narrowing his gaze to specific targets. He was the one to show Zenix how to genuinely graffiti things- a skill Zenix took to and immediately surpassed Gene in, which he was quite proud of- and the one to make Zenix realize that there was an actual “The Man” to rebel again. “The Man” meaning, mostly, the school system, but in the future every authority figure. They were working up to it, Gene sometimes joked. Zenix quietly wondered when Gene would actually start a riot.

“You know, you space out a lot,” Gene commented, and Zenix was snapped out of his internal monologue.

“I’m just always dissociating.”

“Yeah okay edgelord. You’re not even an edgelord, really. You’re an edge peasant.”

Zenix rolled his eyes, responding, “you’re the edgelord here. The only color you wear, ever, is navy. Which is basically black.”

“You are literally holding my red flannel right now.”

“Red. Red and black is even edgier than plain black.”

“Yeah, but it’s more than just navy.”

Zenix hummed, conceding to that point, and Gene laughed. They both ignored the fact that Gene was actually wearing a color currently- though, the lighter blue of the skull on his shirt wasn’t much- and continued to argue about who’s wardrobe was edgier. Zenix gave a rare small smile, remembering why it was genuinely nice to spend time with Gene. The senior always seemed to be planning something devious or finding out new buttons to press, but in moments like this, he really felt at home, a thing that he didn’t often feel with his family. 

“So… how are we actually getting there?” Zenix asked after Gene successfully won with a comment about Zenix’s obsession with pink shoes- Zenix wasn’t really sure how that made him edgy but Gene tied in symbolism about seeking childhood innocence and really, as a sophomore, he couldn’t argue against the two more years of English class Gene had under his belt- and Gene snorted.

“I honestly can’t believe how long it took you to ask.”

“I was busy trying to prove a point.”

“Fair enough. We’re going back to my house to take my mom’s car. She’s letting me drive.”

Zenix grinned with an enthusiasm only mustered by a thrill for danger. Gene wasn’t known for his pleasant driving, but Zenix loved the near roller coaster feeling he got whenever Gene drove him anywhere. He was capable of driving sanely- he always did with his family and vaguely followed traffic laws in more serious contexts- but with the Shadow Knights, the speed limit was a mere suggestion. While Sasha was somehow capable of just napping through any car ride, both Gene and Zenix had a similar attitude towards speeding. Meaning, if they died, they died going fast and having fun and that was what mattered.

Gene bounded up the steps of his house quickly to tell his mom something while Zenix got into the red sedan. He fidgeted for a moment, then realizing Gene would be a while, tried to find anything to do. He traced his fingers along the dashboard, which was covered in faded stickers, and tried to guess if Dante or Gene put them there as kids.

From the weathering, Zenix guessed Gene, but the horses and superheroes seemed more Dante’s style. Gene had some baby and childhood pictures around his house, showing that once he wasn’t a tall and brooding punk-grunge hybrid, but it was still hard to associate him with the colorful images.

His fingers came along a gash in the dashboard and Zenix grinned. Definitely Gene, probably from a pocket knife. He could practically hear Gene’s mother telling him off. He was just coming to a dent near the vents that may have been from a soccer ball when there was a knock on the door, startling him.

Dante was outside, grinning as usual, and Zenix raised an eyebrow.

“Come out!” Dante’s voice was muffled, and for a moment, Zenix considered ignoring him. Dante was alright as far as people went, but his cheerful disposition got annoying quickly. He was also nice to Zenix, which made his heart twist and his cheeks redden and he really didn’t need Gene threatening him to stay away from his younger brother today. “Zenix, I know you can hear me! Come out!”

“I like boys!”

“Not like that. You say that every time!”

With a sigh he opened the door and slipped out, slamming it closed. Dante hopped onto the hood of the car, tilting his head, and Zenix climbed on as well without much thought.

“What do you want?”

“Where are you and Gene going? He’s wearing a shirt with actual color today so I was curious.” Dante tugged on the flannel Zenix was wearing. “He even lent you a flannel.”

“You have your brother’s flannels memorized?”

“I just assume that if it’s a bright red it’s his.”

Zenix snorted, batting Dante’s hand away, and shrugged. “Gene’s taking me to a concert. Some band he likes that isn’t entirely punk so he wore something… less… punk, I guess.”

“Is it a date?” Dante’s eyes glittered with a mischief that was all too familiar and Zenix lamented for a moment that the two brothers looked alike. The similarities weren’t extreme, but when Dante made an expression that was inherently linked to Gene in Zenix’s head, he felt a little bit like he might wither up inside.

“No!” Zenix said defensively, leaning away. “No, it’s not a date, it’s just friends going out together.”

“I was just teasing but that response was really defensive.” Dante’s grin was way too wide for Zenix’s comfort and he squirmed under the gaze. The other sophomore poked his cheek and Zenix pushed his hand away. “Wow, you turn bright red. That’s… really funny.”

“Don’t you have friends to be harassing?”

“You’re just fun to mess with.”

Before an actual wrestling match broke out, the front door opened. Gene walked down the steps, glancing at Zenix holding a hand up to hit Dante, and raised an eyebrow.  
“If you do what I’m thinking you’re going to, I’m never speaking to you again.”

Zenix lowered his hand and Dante slipped off the hood of the car. He gave Zenix a salute before running off into the garage.

“See you in homeroom, Zen!”

Zenix grumbled and got off the hood as well, climbing into the car as Gene got into the driver’s side.

“Don’t date my brother,” Gene said casually, backing out of the driveway and glancing behind him to check the street was clear.

“You’ve told me.”

“I’ll make your life hell.”

“You told me that as well. After you stalked me freshman year for Dante forcing me to talk to him, I should add.”

“Glad it’s all clear.”

Zenix scoffed, mumbling, “you are ridiculous.” Gene turned on the radio, letting rock music overtake the sound of his voice, and he leaned against the window, watching the scenery go by. He felt more than heard the engine rev, and as everything outside blurred, he felt himself start to grin.

\---

Zenix leaned against the wall, watching the crowd jumping around in the pit from a safe distance. The band was more punk than anything else, something he should have expected from Gene but was somehow still off-put by after being promised something new. So he drew back while everyone else, including his friend, went wild.

He hated being that close to other people, especially strangers. Gene and Sasha enjoyed it, and really, Zenix knew he should too, but…

He looked down at his arms, adjusting the flannel to cover them better. He stared for a moment, thoughts circling away into a different place when suddenly a hand grabbed his flannel sleeve, tugging.

“Hey cutie!”

Zenix felt his cheeks redden immediately, looking up. A girl stood in front of him. She must have been around Gene’s age, maybe in early college, with dark brown hair and a bright pink streak running through it. Their eyes met, and he dropped his gaze to the floor as soon as he saw the bright brown. Well, maybe he was more looking at her hips. Her figure was nice. Sue him.

“I was gonna ask why you’re over here, but I think I just got my answer! Shy little guy, huh?” Her voice was teasing and he pouted, too used to this treatment from Gene and Sasha to respond any other way. “Maybe a drink could help you loosen up? I do like a shy guy to liven up a night, but it’s more fun when we’re all up for sharing.”

“Are you offering?” He looked at her, eyes narrowing, and she laughed.

“Yeah! Unless you want to pay for a pretty girl?”

“I don’t think they’d let me,” he mumbled, his voice dropping as he suddenly realized the situation he was in. A college girl was hitting on him and he couldn’t even buy her a drink because he was only 15 years old. What a lame situation. Expecting her to laugh and walk away, he showed her the X on his hand and admitted, “I’m kinda underaged.”

“And? I’m only 18!”

Oh. She had a fake ID. 

She flashed it quickly with a wink, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to the bar. He followed without question. Irene, she was hot. This was just about every fantasy of his that didn’t involve someone he actually knew.

“I’m Crystal, by the way!” She grinned at him over her shoulder.

“Zenix.”

“Oh, that’s such a cool name!” She let go of him once they reached the bar, tapping her ID against her thigh and watching the small crowd milling around the bar.  
She was wearing a short skirt, her shirt tucked into it’s high waist, and he did his best to keep his eyes away from the movement near her thigh. She seemed to catch the look however, stretching then wrapping an arm around him. Her body pressed against his and she winked when Zenix spluttered. 

“My name isn’t technically Crystal, it’s Christine. But Crystal sounds so much cooler, right?”

“Super cool.” His words stuttered slightly and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh, I like it.”

“You’re cute. We should dance once we have some drinks, okay?” Crystal turned, pulling away from him to face him and grab his hands. “I think you’d be even cuter with me grinding against you, but it’s not that kind of concert. So we’ll have to make due with moshing. Save grinding for another time.”

“You can grind on me if you want,” Zenix replied, a bit too quickly as his voice caught in his throat, and she laughed. 

“Wait here so they don’t see the X on your hand, okay Zenix?” She beamed, patting his shoulder, then slipped through the people towards the bar. He watched her back, following the curve of her spine down-

“Who’s the college chick picking you up?”

Zenix yelped, jumping and turning to see Gene. His tone was teasing but his expression was flat, glaring after Crystal.

“Her name is Crystal. She’s like, killer hot with really nice eyes. And she’s buying me a drink and she has a fake ID. Isn’t that so cool?” Zenix blurted out, unable to stop himself once he started. “And she’s only 18 so I think she’s in high school too.”

Gene relaxed at the last statement, a grin reaching his face and finally looking at Zenix.

“Cool, cool. Enjoying yourself then? Don’t get too drunk.”

“I’m not going to get drunk!”

“Baaack! Does your friend want a drink?” Crystal popped back into the conversation, pushing a drink into Zenix’s hands. Gene took the drink immediately, lifting it and sniffing it. Zenix blushed.

“You’re not my dad, Gene.” He grabbed it back, looking apologetically at Crystal, and she just rolled her eyes in response.

“I’m good without a drink. I’m driving and I don’t feel like getting pulled over tonight.” Gene’s grin seemed more forced now, gravitating to attach himself to Zenix’s side.

“Ohhh, that makes sense! Well, more for us then!” Crystal nodded and threw back the drink. Zenix followed suit, nose wrinkling up as it hit him. Cheap lukewarm beer wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than having hard liquor without any preparation, he supposed.

“Cheers,” Gene agreed, keeping an eye on Zenix. Zenix stuck his tongue out at him and he laughed, ruffling Zenix’s hair. “Alright, I’ll go stand somewhere else. Stay safe.”  
Gene tilted Zenix’s head up and quickly kissed his cheek before walking away. Zenix spluttered, face burning red and staring after him in shock, and Crystal gasped.

“Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were taken!”

“I- I’m not…”

“Your boyfriend is pretty possessive, huh? I guess I would be too. I’d hate someone stealing my position as the older partner.” She laughed, nudging Zenix, and he covered his face with one hand.

“He’s not- whatever! Okay. Yeah. Older boyfriend.”

He stared after where Gene wandered off to, brain reeling while trying to process what just happened. Did Gene just purposefully sabotage him by kissing him? Why? Was he that worried about whatever Crystal was doing? Did he just want to fuck with him?

What the fuck?

“You okay, Zenix?”

“Oh, yeah, fine!” Zenix said, snapping back to attention. His voice cracked on ‘fine’ and he winced. He sipped his drink to cover it, raising his eyebrows at Crystal. “Guess I’m just being a lightweight and already feeling it.”

“Oh, I wish that were me! I’d spend so much less money at concerts.” She giggled, waving a hand at him. “Reap what you sow, I guess.”

“I don’t think that’s how that phrase is used,” Zenix replied, earning a shrug in response.

He drank the last of his beer and proceeded to miss the rest of the conversation.


End file.
